Latch control mechanism



April 6, 1954 R. MARPLE 2,674,479 LATCH CONTROL MECHANISM Filed Oct. 31, 1949 Z a;

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Failing-Miam INVENTOR. E 5, 70*[20 BY mfi g zq Patented Apr. 6, 1954 LATCH CONTROL MECHANISM Rollo Marple, Jackson,

cock Manufacturing a corporation of Michi Mich., assignor to Banompany, Jackson, Mich gan Application October 31, 1949, Serial No. 124,626

7 Claims. 1

This invention relates generally to latch control mechanism adapted. among other uses, for operating a vehicle door latch from the inside of the vehicle.

An object of this invention is to provide a new latch control mechanism of the class described.

Another object of this invention is to provide such a control mechanism which may be operated in either of two directions from a normal position to either lock the door latch or to retract the bolt for opening the door.

A further object of this invention is to provide such a control mechanism which will be resiliently urged to its central or normal position.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the specification, the appended claims and th drawings, in which drawings,

Figure 1 is a sectional view through a portion of an automobile body showing the invention;

Fig. 2 is a top elevational view showing the latch control mechanism of Fig. l enlarged;

Fig. 3 is a view taken substantially along the line 33 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a view taken substantially along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 5 is a view taken substantially along the line 5-i5 of Fig. 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, the numeral l designates generally a section of a motor vehicle body having a door opening 2 adapted to be closed by a door l hinged in the usual manner to the car body as by means of the hinges ii. A latching mechanism 8 carried by the door 4 is cooperable with a keeper it to maintain the door in closed position. The latching mechanism 8 may be of any well-known type, embodying means which responds to movement of inside link [2 in one direction to release the latch and permit the door to be opened, and which responds to a momentary movement of inside link if. in the opposite direction to lock the latch against operation by the outside handle i i. For example, the latching mechanism 8 may be of a type which has a reciprocable member operable by the outside rollback and by the inside link I2 when moved in one direction to release the latch dogging means, and a blocking member for the reciprocable member, the blocking member being operable by an outside key station and by the inside link 52 when moved in the opposite direction. Upon release by the user, the insid link is moved to and yieldingly held in an intermediate neutral position by the present con trol unit [6. i

The latch control unit It is carried on the inner Wall panel 18 of the door 4 and is provided with a lever 20 which is pivotally connected to the inside link l2 for movement of the inside link l2 in either of its two directions, as aforesaid.

The latch control unit It comprises a base plate 22 which is provided with an aperture 2d, the plate having a flange defining the aperture, for journaling a stub shaft 25 having a handle receiving end portion 28 extending through the inner door panel Ill and knurled as at so for receiving the inner door handle 32. The shaft 25 has an enlarged diameter portion 3a! providing shoulders 34a. and 34b. The shoulder 36a seats against the inner surface of the base plate 22 to limit movement of the shaft 26 in one direction. Preferably, the peripheral surfac of the portion 34 is other than circular as, for example, hexagonal. The lever 20 is provided with a mating hexagonal aperture 38 which receives the hexagonal enlarged portion 34 and serves to secure the lever 20 to the shaft for actuation thereby. A substantially V-shaped link 38 is provided with an aperture 40 through which the shaft it extends. The inner face of link 38 seats against the second shoulder 34b of the enlarged portion 34. An outer plate or deck l2 seats against the opposite surface of the link 38 and is provided with an aperture 44, the plate having a flange defining the aperture, through which the shaft 26 extends. The apertures 24 and id provide spaced bearings for journaling the shaft 26. The deck 42 is provided with a plurality of spaced downturned ears 46 which are provided with shoulders 47 and tab portions :28 extending outwardly beyond the shoulders 47. The tab portions 48 project through apertures in the base plate 22 and are bent against the outer surface of the base plate 22 to hold the deck 42 against the base plate 22. The link 38 extends outwardly of the enlarged diameter portion 36 and serves to maintain the lever 20 against movement away from the enlarged portion 34.

A pair of spaced tabs 50 and 52 of the link 38 have out-turned end portions extending toward the adjacent surface of the base plate 22 in straddling relation to an intermediate portion of the lever 20, these elements constituting a lost-motion connection. The link 38 is normally urged toward a clockwise rotated position by a helically coiled spring 53 coiled about an upturned tab 5d. One end 58 of the spring 53 is held within an aperture 60 of the base member 22 and a second end portion 62 engages the tab 52. Clockwise rotation of the link 38 (as influenced by spring 53), is limited by the engagement of a shoulder t4 3 formed on the link 38 with an edge portion of one of the ears 46 of deck 42.

A helically coiled spring 66 is located between the deck 42 and partially within a recess defined by portion Bl of the plate 22 and deck 42. One end of the spring 66 abuts an end wall 68 of the recess 6! and another of the ears 46 of deck 42. Spring 66 carries a button 69 having a head 10 which normally engages the nose ii of the lever 20. When so engaged, spring E6 yieldingly holds lever 29 against the tab. 52 of link 33. Under these conditions, the force applied to lever 29 by spring 86, tends to rock the link 38 against the force of spring 53. The force of spring 53 is, however, superior to that of spring {56 and, consequently, link 38 normally remains in the illustrated position.

If nose 'H of lever is moved away from button 69, spring 66 elongates slightly, bringing button 69 into engagement with an end wall 13 of the recess 6'! and an instruck tab id of the deck 42.

It is believed that the remainder of the details of construction may best be understood by a description of operation of the unit It. As aforesaid, the spring 53 normally holds the link 38 in the illustrated position, in which the tab 52) engages the deck-ear M5, and spring 66 normally holds lever 29 against the tab 52 of link 38. The

unit is, thus, prevented from rattling. For the purposes of explanation it will be assumed that counterclockwise rotation of the shaft and movement of the link !2 to the right as viewed in Fig. 3 releases the latch 8 while clockwise rotation of the shaft 26 and leftward movement of the link l2 locks the latch 8. It is to be distinctly understood however that if desired, the unit Hi can be used in the opposite manner. Thus, to open the door, handle 32 and shaft 26 are turned counterclockwise. This action rocks the link 38 against the force of spring 53. Upon release of handle 322, spring 53 is effective to restore the parts to the illustrated positions. When it is desired to place the latch mechanism 8 in its locked condition so that the door cannot be opened by means of the outside door handle M, the inner handle 32 is rotated in a direction to rotate the lever 20 clockwise. This rotation is opposed only by the spring 86, and involves no movement of link 353. spring 66 rotates the lever 20 counterclockwise back to its normal position.

What is claimed and is desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is as follows:

1. In a latch control mechanism, a base member, a rotatable shaft carried by said member, a lever rotatable by said shaft, 9, link pivotally mounted on said shaft and having bifurcated portions straddling said lever, resilient means for urging said link in one direction, stop means for limiting movement of said link in said one direction, and resilient means for urging said lever a limited distance in a direction opposite to said one direction, one of said bifurcated portions serving to limit movement of said lever in said opposite direction.

2. In a latch control mechanism, a base member having an aperture therethrough, a deck carried by said base member in spaced relation thereto and having an aperture aligned with said base member aperture, a shaft journaled in said apertures, a lever rotatable by said shaft-in opposite directions from a normal intermediate portion and positioned intermediate said deck and said base member, a link movable relative to said When the handle 32 is released, the

shaft and havingportions straddling said lever, resilient means for urging said link in one direction, and resilient means for urging said lever in a direction opposite to said one direction, said straddling portions serving as stop means against the action of said resilient means, whereby said lever is held in said neutral intermediate position.

3. In a latch control mechanism, a plate like base member, a deck member having a main portion spaced from said base member and legs secured to said base member, a shaft journaled for rotation in said members, a lever rotatable by said shaft in opposite directions from a normal intermediate position, a link rotatable relative to said shaft and having spaced portions astraddle said lever, a spring urging said link in one direction, and a second spring carried intermediate said members and urging said lever in a second direction, said straddling portions serving as stop means against the action of said resilient means, whereby said lever is held in said neutral intermediate position.

4. In a latch control unit, fixed mounting means, an operating member mounted on said mounting means for movement in each of two directions from a normal intermediate position to thereby effect corresponding control operations, a first resilient element having one end engageable with said fixed mounting means, an element engaged by the other end of said first resilient element and engageable with said member to urge said member in one direction, a second resilient element urging said member in the other direction, and limiting means for preventing said first-mentioned resilient element from moving said member past said intermediate normal position, said means including a stop for one end of said first-mentioned resilient element to positively prevent relative movement between the two ends of said first-mentioned resilient element when said member is moved past said intermediate position in said one direction, the force exerted by said first-mentioned resilient element on said member when the latter is in said intermediate position being greater than the force exerted by said other resilient element on said member, whereby said other resilient element is ineffective to move said member past said intermediate position in said other direction.

5. The combination according to claim 4, further provided with a lost-motion connection between said member and the element engaged by said first-mentioned resilient element.

6. The combination according to claim 4, said member being mounted for rocking movement, the element engaged by said first-mentioned resilient element comprising a link mounted for pivotal movement about the axis of said member.

'7. The combination according to claim l, further provided with an abutment for said other resilient element, said abutment being so disposed as to positively prevent movement of said other resilient element when said member is moved past said intermediate position in said other direction.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,865,581 Miller July 5, 1932 2,162,703 Dall June 20, 1939 2,246,784 Dall June 24, 1941 2,435,987 Tierney et a1 Feb. 17, 1948 2,536,295 Leonard Jan. 2, 1951 

